I’ve just received these remarks about my comedy show in San Francisco. A guy I apparently met at the baths in Melbourne in 1996 contacted me, thrilled to be in SF during gay pride month, sporting a pink cowboy hat whilst he marched with the gay men’s chorus at that ‘Pride Parade’ people with their children still attend. He came along and watched my set a few weeks ago, at the SF Punchline, then he disappeared. Poof! I contacted him to ask what was up. I just wanted to know if I looked good. Ah, vanity!
Instead, I got this:
Dear Scott, Thanks for your email. I can understand you are curious why we didn’t hang round to catch up. We bolted from the show because we were both in a state of shock: I was embarrassed and Richard was, well, appalled. Much of the content of the show played to every old, outdated possible stereotype of being gay. Eg: Gay = sleazy, sexual predator Gay = aids Gay = child molester Etc etc In Aus we have had to fight long and hard for the mainstream community to understand that these things don’t hold true, so it was surprising to go to a show when they were being milked for laughs. Especially when, as far as a quick glance round the room could tell, most of the audience seemed straight. The next day our shock turned to anger and resentment: to us it seemed a throwback to some of the views we have fought long and hard to influence and change. I am not sure if this is news to you, or not. And no doubt the goal of the show is to shock people, and perhaps there are layers of irony, subtlety or nuances which we didn’t pick up. We don’t take serious pills, and enjoy satire and thought-provoking humour. But unfortunately we didn’t find this stuff funny. I did think about sending this feedback to you earlier as I thought you might be wondering why we didn’t hang round, but as I don’t really know you that well I didn’t. In view of your email I hope it does help you understand our reaction. Take care, and best regards, Tim
I know. He’s relentlessly stupid, or Australian. Take your pick. I should’ve ignored him and his large ears. But I was feeling restless. So I sent this:
Hey Tim, Thanks for the email. I looked you up on line and if you’re the lawyer from Melbourne then you’re NOT the Tim I’d hoped was coming to the show. The Tim I’d expected is blond and owns a boat and lives in Sydney. Do you know him? ‘Aus’ as you call it has such a compact population of gays. Anyway, if you say we’ve met before, I’ll take your word for it. You seem like a very sincere person.
About my material, which, I suppose, you’ve forgotten since we last met: My relationship with the audience is very personal, very intimate, and the stereotypes you mentioned are the types I’m trying to expose and satirize in my act. Sorry you didn’t get the joke. Odd the vast majority of the crowd did, but then mine is not your culture. Whether the audience was straight or not, I’m not sure. But if they were, perhaps their presence confused you and muted your response. Next time, there’s no reason to be frightened. In provincial towns a lot of straights might seem sinister. In San Francisco, really, that’s not the case. Our straights are a docile, easily controlled bunch, good humored and up for some laughs.
By the way, it’s customary, no matter what you thought of the show, to thank a performer for arranging tickets, and not wait for him to contact you wondering where you disappeared to.
OH, one other thing: Pink cowboy hats and the gay chorus? Now those are the stereotypes I’m fighting against.
Enjoy your far-away land.
Scott Capurro
PS: We met at the baths? Talk about stereotypical…